The Tour Blog
Welcome to the Tour Blog, where Golfweek reporters Jeff Babineau,
Jeff Rude, Rex Hoggard, Dave Seanor, Alex Miceli, James Achenbach, Alistair Tait and
Beth Ann Baldry deliver the latest inside news and happenings on the
PGA Tour, LPGA and European Tour.
Editor's note: This is the archived
material from the inaugural FedEx Cup playoffs.
ATLANTA – In the press room at tournaments, a lot of crazy stats and notes cross our desks.
This
one might be one of the odder ones this writer has run across: With his
victory at East Lake, Tiger Woods moved to $10,867,052 in season
earnings. Phil Mickelson is No. 2 at $5,819,988 and Vijay Singh is No.
3 at $4,728,376.
Could Phil still catch Tiger? You bet.
All
he'd need to do is play all SEVEN of the Tour's Fall Series AND WIN
THEM ALL. That's all. A little late-season Byron Nelson streak for us,
and all of a sudden, Lefty will be surpass $11 million.
Actually,
we don't expect to see Phil more than once during the Fall Series. He's
planning to tee it up at the event at Grayhawk.
On the other hand, somebody at the Tour has a lot of time on his or her hands ...
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Sept. 17
ATLANTA – Normally when I see Zach Johnson, I wonder, “Has he ever
sung any Johnny Cash numbers at a karaoke bar?” I mean, he looks more
like Joaquin Phoenix than Joaquin Phoenix, who played the country music
star in the movie Walk the Line.
Not today, though. Today’s
inquiry had more to do with his central nervous system, for he arrived
at the 18th hole of the Tour Championship third round needing a birdie
2 to shoot golf’s magical number, 59. So this time the question was,
What were you feeling walking to the 18th tee and standing over the
ball?
Sayeth Zach/Joaquin, an honest man: “My shoulders felt
heavy and my legs felt like they weighed nothing. My hands were
shaking and my heart was pounding. I was breathing all right, though.
I guess the yoga that I’ve been doing helped out a little bit,
seriously.”
As it happened, he blocked blocked a 2-iron into a
right bunker on the 223-yard 18th and blasted to 2 feet, missing the
hole by about a foot on the high side.
As it was, he ended up
with an East Lake course record, 60, and said something that could help
golfers everywhere: “I try not to shoot a number ever. When you start
thinking of a number, it’s normally not a good thing.”
– Jeff Rude
Posted Sept. 15
ATLANTA – All right, the FedEx Cup drama is over. It will be
delivered, deservingly so, to Tiger Woods. About the only drama left
here at East Lake is whether Woods can shoot 59 Sunday after a 64-63-64
start.
Best I can tell, there are only a few ways in which Woods won’t win the Cup on Sunday.
A 47 by Steve Stricker, the points runnerup.
A 52 by Phil Mickelson and something like 73 by Woods.
A scorecard signing snafu that results in disqualification.
Kidnapping.
Withdrawal due to lack of interest or lack of competition or lack of medical treatment for a sudden debilitating illness.
The end of the world.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Sept. 15
ATLANTA – Don't want to say East Lake is playing easy ...
but it wouldn't be very surprising to see somebody shoot 59 around
here. Because of the shape of some greens, hole locations are somewhat
limited, and the place is soft as a marshmallow after a couple days of
rain.
Zach Johnson just got up-and-down at 18 for a 60 –
that's right, 6-oh – and Geoff Ogilvy, who was out of the tournament
yesterday, climbed back into a tie for sixth (with play still going on)
with a 62 today. He made everything.
At the very least, the
conditions mean Tiger Woods can't play defense with the lead, because
out of nowhere, a guy like Zach Johnson, who started 10 back today, can
rise up and rattle the cage.
That's good news for fans.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Sept. 15
ATLANTA – Well, the first round finally is in the books at the 2007
Tour Championship, and with conditions so soft, scoring is pretty
generous – nine rounds of 66 or better, led by Tim Clark's opening 62.
The highest score? A 71, shared by five.
So yes, the opening round of the FedEx finale was a two-day delivery. (Rimshot, please.)
It's
gray outside, but players are back out on the course and the hope is
getting in the second round today if the peripheral weather stirred up
by Hurrican Humberto is kind enough to allow it. The last group goes
off at 11:20 a.m.
Keep those fingers crossed.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Sept. 14
When Golf Channel first took its 460cc-sized bite out of PGA Tour
coverage this year, there were a few weeks on the schedule that
presented logistical problems. This week – with the “season ending”
Tour Championship and Solheim Cup competing for airtime – is one of
those weeks.
Consider the line up for the next 24 hours includes
just one hour (“The Natalie Gulbis Show: Pimp My Garage,” and the
“Sprint Post Game”) not dedicated to tournament golf. That’s right, no
“Golf Central,” no “Grey Goose 19th Hole,” no infomercials.
“Golf
Central” will be the toughest loss (yeah, I TiVo), but consider the
plight of the over-50 set. The first round of the Champions Tour’s
Greater Hickory Classic airs at 12:30 a.m. Not sure what Greater
Hickory sells, but it must have something to do with insomnia.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Sept. 14
ATLANTA – So much for horrific greens. Based on the first day of
the rain-delayed Tour Championship, you’d have thought East Lake’s
heat-stressed greens were as smooth as a baby’s skin.
Tim Clark
shot an eight-under-par 62, tying the course record. Padraig Harrington
birdied the last four holes and shot 63. Tiger Woods (four under
through 11) started with three consecutive birdies, holiing 59 feet of
putts, from 9, 18 and 32 feet. And Phil Mickelson (one under through
12) birdied four of his last six holes to reach red numbers after
starting three over through five.
“I expected a lot worse,”
Clark said of the greens. “They looked fine. I certainly made my share,
so I’m not going to complain. They’re not the standard we’re used to,
but they did a good job getting them ready.”
For dreamers, a
possible score of 59 entered the consciousness twice – when the game’s
best and hottest player, Woods, was three under through three holes and
when Clark needed birdies on the last three holes to get there.
So
expect a go-low shootout here in Bobby Jones’ old neighborhood, bumpy
greens or not. The rain-softened course has little defense against the
30 players who advanced to the FedEx Cup playoff finale. The greens
were so receptive that they held approach shots the short-hitting Clark
hit in using woods and hybrids.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Sept. 13
ATLANTA – Pray not for the greens at East Lake. They're going to be just fine.
If
it was a Tour ploy to scare the players into thinking they were going
to be putting on fried brown greens usually found in West Texas this
week, bracing them for the worst, it probably worked, because players
here who have seen the "stressed" greens have reacted with a collective
shrug. As in, they're not that bad at all.
On a scale of 1 to 10 – a 5 being average – Mark Calcavecchia rated the overall shape of the greens at East Lake as a "6."
"I
was expecting about a 2, to tell you the truth, and I kind of think
that's what they wanted everybody to think so when we got here, we
wouldn't be shocked," he said. "I think everybody is going to be
shocked that they're as decent as they are."
Added the PGA
Tour's Mark Russell, "They're not what we would like to have every
week, but for what they've been through (heat-wise), they're pretty
good."
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Sept. 11
ATLANTA – We have heard a great deal of griping during this
monthlong FedEx Cup playoff series, with players grousing on everything
from schedule to deferred bonuses to lack of volatility in the points
system.
You will not, however, hear players griping about not
having to tee it up for the usual dreaded 6-hour march in sweltering
90-degree-plus temperatures in the Wednesday pro-am, which had to be
canceled because of the fragile condition of East Lake's greens.
Thirty guys teeing it up for $7 million this week just got a little easier.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Sept. 11
ATLANTA – Here's your Bizarro Stat of the Day:
The order of
the current FedEx Cup playoff standings (Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker,
Phil Mickelson, Rory Sabbatini) is the exact order of finish from the
Wachovia Championship in May.
(Actually, Mickelson and Sabbatini tied for third.)
Spooky, eh?
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Sept. 11
Note: East Lake greens conditions update
Tournament
organizers have been given some temperature relief at East Lake Golf
Club. In turn, the heat has been dialed down on Tour types smarting
from further FedEx Cup set backs.
Players were informed late
Monday that all but three greens (Nos. 2, 13 and 15) at East Lake, site
of this week’s Tour Championship, will be open for practice round play
Tuesday and Wednesday.
Aside from sub-standard putting surfaces,
there is an up side to “Greens-gate.” Wednesday’s pro-am – the toughest
six hours of every player’s week – has been canceled to reduce traffic
on the over-heated greens.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Sept. 11
LEMONT, Ill. – An extended heat wave in the Southeast has ravaged
the greens at East Lake Golf Club so thoroughly that the Tour will not
allow play, either a pro-am or practice round, until Thursday’s opening
round at next week’s Tour Championship.
Players learned of the
damage to the Bentgrass putting surfaces in a memo issued from Tour
executive vice president and COO Henry Hughes early Sunday morning.
How
bad are the greens? Hughes was asked during a meeting with NBC
executive producer Tommy Roy on Sunday morning about possibly moving
the event to TPC Sawgrass.
The answer? No. But you get the picture.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Sept. 9
LEMONT, Ill. – PGA Tour players have been told to expect that there
will be no Wednesday pro-am and no practicing on the greens
Monday-Wednesday next week at the FedEx Cup finale, the Tour
Championship, because of heat-stressed greens at Atlanta’s East Lake
Golf Club.
High heat and humidity in August have wreaked havoc
on the greens to the point that some grass has died and parts of some
greens are being resodded. So word is spreading that players probably
won’t be allowed on the greens until the first round Thursday.
Word is the Tour is expected to make an announcement Sunday clarifying the situation.
If
there’s no pro-am and no practice-round access on the greens, Tiger
Woods said he would practice at home in Florida and go to Atlanta on
Wednesday night.
“I’ve never heard of anything like that
before,” Woods said, referring to canceled practice on greens.
“Certainly in my years on Tour and my years in amateur golf and junior
golf, I’ve never heard of it being canceled with good weather. This
will be interesting to see.”
This, of course, is not what the
Tour had in mind for the grand finale of its inaugural, expensive FedEx
Cup playoffs. But sometimes you can’t beat Mother Nature.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Sept. 8
LEMONT, Ill. – Tiger Woods hit 16 greens in regulation and
13 of 14 fairways during a 65 Saturday on a rain-softened Cog Hill
course in the BMW Championship. But he wasn’t even the best
ball-striker of the day.
That honor would go to the man a
writer friend says has gone from “Steve Baker-Finch to Steve Hogan.”
His real name is Steve Stricker.
Granted, the large greens
were so receptive that Woods said 5-iron shots were backing up. Still,
Stricker put on a ball-hitting show in shooting 7-under-par 64 and
moving into a tie for first with Aaron Baddeley, one shot ahead of
Woods. A crowd favorite from the University of Illinois, Stricker hit
all 18 greens in regulation and 13 of 14 fairways, missing only the
seventh to the right. He now has hit 23 consecutive greens in
regulation.
But the GIR number wasn’t even the most impressive
part of his display. His proximity to the hole was. Stricker was in
such a zone that he holed out for eagle from 112 yards on the par-4
eighth and 12 other times had birdie putts inside of 15 feet. Seven of
those were from 10 feet and in.
“I wasn’t thinking of the
scoreboard,” he said in explaining his zone. “I was just out there
playing, focusing on hitting to the proper spot. ... I was just into
the process of it all, where I wanted to hit it. That’s all that was in
my mind. You get periods like that in golf where it’s easy to
concentrate.”
– Jeff Rude
Posted Sept. 8
LEMONT, Ill. – There he is again, Steve Stricker, high up on the
leaderboard. For a few years you couldn’t find him, even if you
scrolled down to 150th on the money list. Now to locate him you start
at the top of the scores just about every week.
Stricker shot a
5-under-par 66 Friday at the BMW Championship and is tied for third
place, one stroke out of the lead shared by Aaron Baddeley and Jonathan
Byrd. Stricker went low despite making a double bogey on the fourth
hole, where he misjudged the wind, drove into the left rough and hit
the only branch in his way.
I watched Stricker win by
landslide here at Cog Hill 11 years ago. He was longer and more wild
off the tee then. He’s much more accurate now and a better iron player.
He has transformed from power to control player. Through it all he has
been one of the game’s best putters.
Lot of the improvement
has to do with his mind. There’s an interesting mental line in golf
(and life) between “Watch this!” and “Oh, no!” Stricker used to stand
on the tee two to four years ago and think the latter.
“That’s
where I was,” he said Friday, referring to fear. “Now I just pick a
spot and not worry about the mechanics part. I don’t get that nervous
over shots like a used to. Because I feel good about my game, it allows
me to be relaxed.”
– Jeff Rude
Posted Sept. 7
LEMONT, Ill. – It’s 9:11 a.m. here in middle America and Cog Hill
has turned into the sixth Great Lake as a deluge has suspended play
with just a handful of groups waiting to tee off.
For the first time in this playoffs it is Mother Nature, not the media nor players, raining on the FedEx Cup parade.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Sept. 7
LEMONT, Ill.--The two main problems so far with the inaugural FedEx
Cup are that some elite players have skipped tournaments and
complained. The skipping and complaining relate to one issue: Not
wanting to play playoff events four weeks in a row sandwiched between
two important tournaments on the front end and one after.
It is
not in the best interests of anyone--the PGA Tour, FedEx, players and
golf in general--to have elite players such as Tiger Woods, Phil
Mickelson and Ernie Els missing tournaments and/or moaning. Nobody
needs that. Both things sabotage the venture.
So clearly that needs to be fixed. Question is, what is the remedy?
Schedule relief.
Wiggle room.
The
FedEx Cup playoffs are crammed into the post-PGA Championship schedule
before the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup. That urges top players to play
seven of nine weeks or, worse, most likely seven of eight weeks next
year through the Ryder. That’s too much because top players aren’t
wired that way. It’s more about mental fatigue than physical.
That means there could be more skipping and bellyaching next year.
So
build in a week off. Specifically, play the first three playoff events
and take a week off before the grand finale at the Tour Championship.
That would give players a break and create another week of buildup like
before a Super Bowl. The week off could be filled with one of the seven
Fall Series tournaments for lesser players trying to keep their cards.
That would help those men as well, for then they wouldn’t have to take
a forced month off before playing seven weeks in a row.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Sept. 6
LEMONT, Ill. – Funny how this FedEx thing is playing out.
Seems the Tour’s new “marathon” that was going to demand physical
stamina as well sound swings and minds, is being dominated by the well
rested.
Phil Mickelson, No. 1 in FedEx Cup points, decided to
sit out this week in Chicago, and Tiger Woods, No. 3 in points, took a
“bye” on Week 1 in New York.
Vijay Singh, however, is widely
considered the Tour’s “Ironman,” having played every week since Kapalua
(OK, that’s not true, but it sure seems that way). Yet Singh has just
one round in seven playoff outings in the 60s, missed the cut in New
York and is tied for 54th after Round 1 in Chicago after a lackluster
3-over 74.
It appears the circuit’s inaugural “playoff” experiment is something short of a Tour de FedEx.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Sept. 6
LEMONT, Ill. – News of the day, BMW Championship. Justin Rose was
eight under through 11 holes at Cog Hill but didn't end up as the
first-round leader. He's one stroke behind 64 shooter Jonathan Byrd and
two strokes ahead of someone named Tiger Woods. Woods was six under par
with three holes left but made a rare double bogey.
Rose had a
dream start and probably didn't need his putter until the seventh hole.
He birdied four of the first six holes and his longest putt made was 6
feet.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Sept. 6
NOTE TO TIM FINCHEM
FROM: YOUR PGA TOUR SUPERSTARS
Dear Tim,
This
$63 million FedEx Cup thing you created is absolutely killing us. We
realize we can be tough to reach sometimes while we're out on our
yachts or recharging in one of our hinterland retreats that dot the
globe, but you really need to run us down next time so that we can
approve every detail of this thing before you sign off.
By the
way, the fact that you're deferring the bonus money is outrageous. Now,
instead of getting $10 million instantly and paying 35 percent in taxes
on the spot (without doing the actual math, our team of accountants
tell us that's a lot), we're actually going to have to wait to
get paid, which, of course, could mean we have $50 million-$80 million
waiting for us on the back end, depending on our ages when we pull the
money out.
That's not very sound thinking, is it?
And
while we have your ear, having to play 15 events this year (or roughly
a third of the Tour schedule) is a little much, don't you think? Can
we whittle the Tour minimum to 10 or 12? And we wouldn't mind doing
away with those Wednesday pro-ams, either.
Hope to hear from you soon. Hey, Tim, is your annual bonus deferred? Just kidding, buddy.
(Oh,
and do us a favor, will you? Can you keep this little rift between us?
This stuff could sound a little whiney to the guy working 50 weeks a
year making $23,500 trying to support his family.)
Regards,
Your pals, the players
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Sept. 6
LEMONT, Ill. – Say what you will about the flaws of the FedEx Cup,
real or perceived. But give the Tour credit for picking a good lineup
of courses to run the table.
Although the greens at Westchester
left many players wanting, it’s a classic layout that appeals to the
closet architect in every card-carrying Tour member. Last week’s TPC
Boston is a work in progress that is progressing in the right
direction, Cog Hill is like a familiar old friend and East Lake in
Atlanta is a classic.
But here’s a thought. If Cog Hill makes a
move into the U.S. Open rota, as many believe it will when Rees Jones
completes his redesign, the Tour should consider moving the BMW to that
other Chicagoland gem – Olympia Fields.
As one former Tour player with nearly a half dozen U.S. Open starts said on Tuesday, “Olympia Fields was the best by far.”
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Sept. 5
LEMONT, Ill. - The chorus of FedEx Cup discontent continues to
grow. Despite better-than-ever fields in New York, Boston and this week
in Chicago, the focus this “postseason” seems to be on the players who
aren’t on property, rather than those who are.
In New York, the
row was Tiger Woods’ no-show. Last week Ernie Els and Scott Verplank
rested. Points leader Phil Mickelson took a pass at Cog Hill.
Yet,
of all the problems players have with the Tour’s grand experiment,
perhaps the most curious concern is a preceived lack of communication
on the Tour’s behalf.
“The power’s all behind closed doors,” Els
said. “In certain ways (the players and commissioner’s office) have
grown apart from each other.”
Haven’t been a part of the dating scene in over a decade, but I know a “Dear John” letter when I hear one.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Sept. 5
LEMONT, Ill. – This just in: Phil Mickelson has pulled out of this
week's BMW Championship. That should come as no surprise to anyone who
heard his comments about Tim Finchem on national television following
his Monday victory. Mickelson, in effect, said he might skip the
Chicago event because Finchem didn't give him a couple of concessions
requested.
Finchem, the skilled politician, ought to know how
the game is played. The leading players are asking for schedule relief
in and around the crammed FedEx Cup playoffs. Mickelson is just doing
what Tiger Woods and Ernie Els did before him – decide to take a week
off for more rest. He just did it Phil's way – in a very public and
political manner.
Bottom line is, golf is never better than when
Phil Mickelson is playing well. That means Mr. Woods has a rival. So
let's embrace that. There's a good chance the FedEx Cup will come down
to those two next week at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Sept. 4
LEMONT, Ill. – Talk about big-game hunting. Phil Mickelson took
down Tiger Woods and called out Tim Finchem in the same day. I mean,
stick your chest out and give me a little clout.
I don't know much about Grizzly Adams, but I'm not sure he ever got two scalps that big in the same half hour.
What's the taxidermy bill on that haul?
– Jeff Rude
Posted Sept. 4
NORTON, Mass. – One concern, or tweak, that many players are
calling for in the FedEx Cup is that points ought to be weighted
heavier in the playoffs, so there is more movement than what we
currently have.
Through two playoff events, they may have a point.
Last
week at Westchester, only two players that began the week outside the
top 120 – Rich Beem and Doug LaBelle II – moved into the top 120 to
earn a spot at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
This week at
the DBC, there also was little movement as we readied for the 70-man
field at the BMW Championship. Two players who started outside the top
70 moved up to earn a spot at Chicago: John Mallinger (71 to 61) and Bo
Van Pelt (72 to 70).
The odd men out: Steve Flesch and Peter Lonard.
Bernhard
Langer didn't even show up in Boston (or New York) and this week he
only slips one spot, to 63. He could show up for a free check in
Chicago, but by all accounts, does not plan to.
Here's a vote for a little more volatility than that!
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Sept. 3
NORTON, Mass. – For every step forward the FedEx Cup takes, it
seems to take one backward. Maybe that's just the way this thing is
going to work, and as fans, we should decide to take the good with the
bad.
Case in point: Monday at TPC Boston. Tiger vs. Phil, with
something on the line in a final round (hey, to get both of these guys
in one spot, and in the hunt, takes some doing). On an absolutely
gorgeous day that capped an absolutely gorgeous week, Mickelson shoots
66 to Tiger's 67 and hold's off the World No. 1 to win his first event
since The Players in May. A truly memorable day.
So Phil now
takes the FedEx Cup points lead. That's certainly interesting stuff.
But afterward, it wasn't as if he was just leaving the door open a
crack that he might not play in Chicago this week. He flung it wide
open. No doubt, the scheduling is tough. Four weeks is a lot for these
guys, and Tiger already made his statement by skipping the FedEx opener
in New York. Phil may follow suit.
Should Phil take off the
BMW Championship – and like Tiger, it won't cost him that direly in his
chase to win the FedEx Cup – certainly it will dominate the early-week
stories in the Windy City. A big distraction in a new system that has
given us two excellent shows thus far in New York and Boston. People
will question how the guy leading this FedEx Cup halfway through could
possibly decide to skip one of the four stops.
How is that possible?
Actually, it may be more than possible. Stay tuned ...
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Sept. 3
Although scheduled Monday finishes are about as popular with
players, and weekly magazine editors, as U grooves are to the U.S. Golf
Association, you do have to give the FedEx Cup architects credit for
pumping some real life into the Labor Day viewing schedule.
Consider
the 2 p.m. (EST) viewing options: The Montel Williams Show, fourth
round tennis action from the U.S. Open, NHRA racing Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals, or Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson paired in the day’s next
to last tee time at TPC Boston on NBC.
I’ll take Lefty and the “Great One” with a bag of Tostitos, please.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Sept. 3
NORTON, MASS. – We joke that it takes a math whiz to figure out the
FedEx Cup formula and how players move up and down on any given week.
To be honest, I'm not even sure if a math whiz could keep up. This
stuff is mind-numbing.
Take John Mallinger. OK, the guy began
the week No. 71, and on the bubble of advancing to Chicago for the BMW
Championship next week (the top 70 will play).
So here at the
Deutsche Bank Championship, it says Mallinger must finish 30th or
better to earn enough points to earn a spot next week.
After a third-round 67 on Sunday, he currently stands T-35.
Which begs the question: Does that means he's sitting on a double bubble?
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Sept. 2
NORTON, MASS. – One day after looking like competitors from the B
Flight of your local club championship, the Big Three – Phil Mickelson,
Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh – put on a memorable show at the Deutsche
Bank Championship.
Playing for the first time together as a
threesome in a Tour event, Phil and Tiger shot dueling 64s and Vijay
(who opened with 74) joined the fray with a little 66 of his own.
Combined, they were 19 under; the three shot a best-ball score of
14-under 57.
(Maybe they ought to enter a scramble together one day.)
The
biggest loser on Day 2? The Golf Channel. Televising the first two
rounds of the DBC, its wish was to get the Big Three on the air on
Saturday afternoon. Instead, the Tour put the Big Three out in a
late-early rotation the first two rounds, which meant by the time Golf
Channel went onto the air Saturday afternoon, the Big Three already
were having lunch.
Too bad. It was an electric day for golf,
and the play of the Big Three deserved something better than highlights
packages. The Tour dropped the ball on that one.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Sept. 1
NORTON, MASS. – Tough day on the FedEx Cup front.
K.J. Choi
withdrew with a bad back after shooting 73, an injury with which he's
been dealing since Bay Hill in March. He entered this week second in
the points standings.
A day after shooting a tidy little 63 in
the pro-am, Tiger Woods struggled today, and stands 1 over. They must
be passing the Tums in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Phil Mickelson
lipped out a short birdie putt at 18 and shot 1-under 70, and if he
doesn't contend this week, don't be shocked if he's a no-show in
Chicago next week. Yet another big defection. That wouldn't be good.
Vijay
Singh, the man everyone expected to be a real force in this format, is
on the way to missing his second consecutive cut. How is THAT possible?
Singh four-putted his opening hole and stumbled to a round of 74. Not a
good day.
One question: Since these are commonly referred to
as golf's playoffs, if the Big Fijian comes out of the gates with
back-to-back missed cuts, will that make him golf's Marty
Schottenheimer?
Just askin' ...
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Aug. 31
NORTON, MASS. – Most amazing thing seen on the range on Thursday?
Watching left-hander Steve Flesch grab a right-handed driver and pipe
drives about 280 yards, pretty much right down the middle.
If
the guy ever gives up life on the Tour and wants to hustle some folks,
here's the perfect setup: He shows up to a country club driving range,
hits a few balls right-handed, hustles a money game, then can add,
"Heck, I'll play you for double that, and I'll even play left-handed."
(By the way, Steve, just for the idea, I want 10 percent of all those future winnings.)
Flesch
turned his season around a few weeks ago with a victory at Reno, tied
for 12th last week at the FedEx opener in New York (The Barclays), and
suddenly finds himself No. 70 in FedEx points, the man on the bubble to
make it to the BMW Championship in Chicago next week.
Flesch
is a guy who speaks his mind, and was critical of Tiger Woods and
others who are eligible to play all four playoff events but will not
play them all. Ernie Els is out this week, and Phil Mickelson has
intimated that he's thinking of taking next week's stop in Chicago off.
One
thing is certain: If he's eligible, Flesch will play 'em all. And when
he talks about playing several weeks in a row, he at least knows what
he's talking about. In one 16-week span starting in mid-April at the
Zurich Classic stretching through the PGA earlier this month, Flesch
played 15 tournaments.
"Hell, I played 12 in a row at one
point," he said, "and I feel fine physically. I'm 40, and I don't even
work out. Four in a row shouldn't be that big a deal. We're athletes,
yeah, but it's not the most strenuous game. We're not running 100-yard
dashes out here."
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Aug. 30
NORTON, MASS. – Spent some time with one longtime agent on the
range today at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He said he's heard
plenty of grumbling from players regarding the FedEx Cup, mainly
because players aren't quite clear how the system works.
His message: You don't really have to know how it works.
"I tell them, hey, it's pretty simple," he said. "Shoot low scores and you'll be OK."
If
it sounds a little simplistic, he went on to explain. He asked his
player if he knew how the Tour purse breakdown works week to week and
got a blank stare in return.
"You know," said the agent, "the winner each week gets 18 percent, second gets so-much, and so on ..."
The player looked at him as if he was hearing this for the first time.
"Let me ask you: how do you know how much money you make at each tournament?" the agent asked.
"I just look in the paper on Monday morning," the player answered.
"OK, so look in the paper this week after the tournament, and you'll know how you did," said the agent.
Simple as that.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Aug. 30
With all due respect to my esteemed colleague, Rex Hoggard, the
fine senator from Altamonte Springs and one of the finest golf writers
I know, I have to respond to his plea that Bob Heintz still should be
moving on in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
First of all, a
disclaimer: I like Bob Heintz. A lot. He is a rarity in our business, a
PGA Tour player by way of Yale, and anyone who ever has spent 5 minutes
with him will attest he's one of the best interviews out there.
OK,
now comes the guillotine. Bob Heintz played pretty well last week
(T-17), but that wasn't enough to move on. Guess what? That's how it
should be. Before late July, Heintz had not finished inside the top 30
in a single Tour event. He finished the "regular" season ranked 134th
in FedEx Cup points.
Tell me, in what other sport in the
universe does a man or team who finished No. 134 qualify for postseason
play? Hey, at least Heintz came in with a top 10 to his credit (two, in
fact). Nine players who made the Tour "playoffs" did not even have a
top 10 in 2007.
What his bonus berth at The Barclays did for
Heintz was produce his third best payday of the 2007 season, a check
for $101,500. That's a nice little jump on those guys outside the top
144 who watched him pick up a six-figure payday as they sat watching on
the pine last weekend. A nice head start when they all gather again at
the starting gates for the mad run for Tour cards we'll know as the
Fall Finish.
This FedEx Cup is a front-loaded deal. Make enough
points during the season, and you can compete for some serious cash
come late August and early September. Having 144 players make the
"playoffs" is a serious flaw in this system. It's pro golf's version of
giving every kid in the youth soccer league a trophy just for
participating.
I say start with 70. Or maybe fewer.
Heintz
shouldn't feel slighted by the system; instead, he ought to feel like
he found a wallet in the street. A nice thick one at that.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Aug. 28
There’s going to be a litany of FedEx Cup fixes when the Ponte
Vedra Beach blue suits sit down for a post-season postgame in a few
weeks, but here is an option that should rate serious consideration.
Bob
Heintz, who began the week in New York outside the top 120, out played
90 percent of the field at the Barclays, finishing tied for 17th, but
is still heading home for the next three weeks because of a system that
has little love for the little man.
Heintz, who has three top-20
finishes in his last five events, couldn’t make up enough ground from
132nd in FedEx Cup points to keep his playoff hopes alive. That’s too
bad.
The cup needs two things: Tiger Woods and a compelling
Cinderella story, and a system that sends a player like Heintz packing
this early in the game has little room for the latter.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 27
Steve Stricker, The Barclays champion, is showing what can happen
when a dead-eye putter starts finding his own fairway instead of the
one to the left or right. The refreshing transformation by one of
golf's true gentlemen is among the game's feel-good stories of the past
two years.
You can be sure, too, the rise from the ashes is
popular among his peers as well, especially those with whom he will
partner at the upcoming Presidents Cup and probably next year's Ryder
Cup.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 27
Here's one difference between the new Tour schedule and the old: My
pal John Kaczowski, the fine tournament director of the BMW
Championship, called me this morning to, best I can tell, chew the fat
about the opening week of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
This might
qualify as interesting because his tournament is only a week away. His
speech traveled at normal speed. In past years, when the tournament was
known as the Western Open and played July 4 week, his hair might have
been on fire, his voice probably would have trended toward more of a
staccato pace, he would have been fretting about and recruiting for his
field and he probably wouldn't have been calling me to chew the fat
only a week out.
As it is, Kaz doesn't have to recruit this
time. The top 70 in FedEx Cup points will come to him. At this point,
the BMW has commitments from everyone except Tiger Woods, who will
definitely play but doesn't commit until Fridays.
"Incredible," the man with the beefed-up field said.
Some
Chicago scribes have criticized the dropping of the "Western Open" name
and the move to Labor Day week. Both are fine, and the field will be
among the best in golf – way, way better than it was in July. Ticket
sales reflect that. They're up about 10 percent from a similar juncture
last year.
No, the only problem with the new event, and you
could call it a major problem as it pertains to the Windy City, is that
the tournament is being moved out of Chicago every other year. St.
Louis one year, Indianapolis one year, San Francisco one year. Anybody
vote for Fargo?
What was Walter Hagen's major is now Tim Finchem's pick-your-play-thing. I'll go with rag doll.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 27
HARRISON, N.Y. – Here’s a refreshing blast of playoff
excitement for you. Johnson Wagner, mired at 127th in the FedEx Cup
points and facing three weeks mandated vacation, teed off at 8:39
needing a miracle to break into the top 120 and earn a spot at next
week’s Deutsche Bank Championship.
Through 11 holes, he seemed
on his way. Wagner, a New Yorker at heart, was 6 under for the day
after a 12-footer for birdie at the par-4 11th. “I knew I had to shoot
a 59 or something today to move up enough,” Wagner said.
The bubble burst on the back nine with four bogeys and a closing 67 that left him near the back of the pack.
“I
hit a couple of loose shots coming in, going for broke. It was fun,”
said Wagner, who planned to continue the fun Sunday afternoon with a
round at the nearby Century Club with some friends. “I have some
friends here so I’m going to take some of their money.”
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 26
PORTLAND, Ore. – Hate to see Nancy Lopez post an ugly number like
91 at the Safeway Classic. She’ll be playing next week in Springfield
though because the “88 Rule” only applies to non-members. Not
surprisingly, Lopez was gracious as ever to her fans and the media when
she walked out of the scoring tent.
Let’s hope next week is a better one.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted Aug. 25
HARRISON, N.Y. – Note to U.S. Presidents Cup captain Jack Nicklaus.
Good
pick, that Hunter Mahan kid. His 9-under 62 gave K.J. Choi something to
think about Saturday at The Barclays, and his self-help style on the
course is a perfect match for teammate Woody Austin.
At the least, Dr. Mahan could keep Woody from belting himself senseless with his putter during a match.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 25
PORTLAND, ORE. – She’s at it again. Lorena Ochoa posted a 5-under
67 Friday and sits one shot behind rookie Ji-Young Oh and Sophie
Gustafson. Ochoa birdied from off the green three times on the back
nine. When she drained a lengthy putt for birdie from the fringe on the
18th, Ochoa simply laughed and threw her ball into the crowd. The
white-hot Mexican considers this four-week stretch she’s on the best of
her career.
Those players looking for relief can take comfort in
the fact that Ochoa is taking a month off after this week. Her brother,
Alejandro, is getting married and then the tour takes off for the
Solheim Cup (Sept. 14-16). Ochoa’s next start will be the Navistar LPGA
Classic Sept. 27-30 in Pratville, Ala.
“Dave (Brooker, her
caddie) asked me, ‘Do you think you want to play next week, you know,
if you win this week?’ ” Ochoa said. “I think it’s a good time to go
home. I could wait for the fourth one when I come back.”
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted Aug. 24
HARRISON, N.Y. – Tired of mediocre putting performances, Retief Goosen followed Sergio Garcia to the belly putter this week.
Goosen,
whose putting prowess helped lead him to two U.S. Open titles, switched
on Tuesday to a TaylorMade putter similar to a model he won with
earlier this year on the European Tour in Qatar. The only difference
this week was the 42-inch shaft.
“I was sitting in the rain on
Tuesday and I said to the boys at TaylorMade, ‘Make me up one,’” said
Goosen, who needed 30 putts in Round 1 and 29 for Friday’s 68. “Let me
try and see what it feels like and it felt surprisingly good."
Not
saying this is a sign of a golf apocalypse, but what’s next, Bubba
Watson switching to a persimmon wood driver so he can “work” the ball?
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 24
K.J. Choi won Jack Nicklaus' tournament this year. He won Tiger
Woods' tournament this year. And now he's halfway to winning The
Barclays.
I'm not sure whose tournament the Barclays is. Maybe
it's Marcus Agius' tournament. He's the Barclays chairman. Maybe it's
Vijay Singh's tournament. He has won three times at Westchester Country
Club. Maybe Gibby Gilbert thinks it's his tournament. He finished
second at Westchester three times.
If this turns out to be K.J.
Choi's tournament on Sunday night, this will be the third time this
year Mr. Rex Hoggard, the fine, young Golfweek writer, crafts a game
story on Choi's winning. This, of course, is no easy task because Choi
speaks limited English and doesn't exactly light up the interview room
like, say, birthday singer Rich Beem. In the biz, the job of trying to
capture someone who uses a translator and doesn't know the definition
of an anecdote is known as a "tough write." I would not dispute you if
you called it "heavy lifting" or wondered what kind of karma the writer
is carrying around.
Anway, should Choi win again, Hoggard would
become something of his U.S. biographer and probably, I'm guessing,
study the Korean language, resort to whiskey or start eating the Korean
delicacy known as dog.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 24
PORTLAND, ORE. – Lorena Ochoa’s name was mispelled (Ocha) on the
media room leaderboard at the Safeway Classic. It has since been
replaced with a hand-written sticker so that sports writers who have
been living in a cave won’t get confused. Wonder if that sort of thing
ever happens to Tiger?
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted Aug. 24
Wonder what Cincinnati Bengals star Ocho Cinco thinks of LPGA star Lorena Ocha?
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 24
HARRISON, N.Y. – Tough opening lap for Masters champion Zach
Johnson at the Barclays. At least his 3-under 68, a near-flawless
effort that featured a closing nine of 31, seemed that way alongside
the other two players in his afternoon three-ball.
The 1:10 p.m. tee time went off the first tee and featured Johnson, Rory Sabbatini (8-under 63) and K.J. Choi (7-under 64).
“I
shot 3 under today and did not have the honor once,” Johnson said. “I’m
in 17th place, and didn’t touch the honor once. I tried.”
Johnson
was, however, the only member of the group to earn a spot on ESPN’s
SportsCenter with his twisting, cross-country birdie putt at
Westchester Country Club’s 15th hole.
“How long was the putt (49
feet, 7 inches, according to ShotLink), or how far did it travel?”
smiled Johnson, who started the birdie attempt some 40 feet right of
the hole. “A long way.”
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 24
PORTLAND, ORE. – Ran into Meg Mallon today and asked if she planned
on going to the Solheim Cup (as a spectator). Her response kind of
caught me off guard: “You know what, I still feel like I can make the
team.”
Mallon, a crowd favorite who is very well-respected and
loved by her peers, has played in eight Solheim Cups, missing only the
first one. She’s finally playing pain-free again and has two top 15s in
her last three events. But Mallon is tied for 29th in points, with a
paltry 41. It sounds nice, but seems highly unlikely.
Still, you’ve gotta love the attitude.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted Aug. 23
HARRISON, N.Y. – Color Briny Baird an optimist, albeit with an extremely realistic grasp of the FedEx Cup points structure.
Baird
– who is in second place, a shot behind early leader Brian Gay here at
Westchester – is 102nd in FedEx Cup points. While only the top 86 in
points are mathematically assured a start next week in Boston, Baird is
probably safe.
Getting into the top 70, and earning a spot
into the third playoff event in Chicago, however, is a long shot. So
much so the Bairds planned a family vacation the last two week’s of the
Tour’s big finish.
“I have reservations starting Thursday of the
third tournament at La Siesta Resort in the (Florida) Keys,” Baird
said. “Does that mean I think I’m not going to make it? No. But the way
things had been going, that’s my two-week break. I’d love to break
those reservations.”
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 23
So much for making Tiger Woods pay for missing the opening playoff
event for Westchester. Vijay Singh, the man who could have put a little
distance between himself and the Great One with a good finish at
Westchester, where he has played well in the past, went
bogey-double-bogey-bogey in a four-hole stretch in his opening nine
(the back nine), and was at 6 over through 11 holes.
He's
probably headed home for the weekend, and will end his week having
earned as many FedEx points as Tiger. That TW, he lives a charmed life
...
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Aug. 23
PORTLAND, ORE. – Tiffany Joh was standing by the putting green
star-gazing when I arrived at the Safeway Classic this afternoon. The
UCLA junior is playing in her first LPGA event and stood in awe as
Natalie Gulbis walked across the green.
Moments later Jee Young
Lee approached and Joh considered asking the long-hitting Korean if she
would autograph her shirt. (Her mom said ‘no’ because it was a good
shirt.) In fact, Joh was so excited to see Nancy Lopez in the locker
room, she literally ran into a wall.
So you can imagine Joh’s reaction upon learning she’s paired with Michelle Wie for the first round.
“I
seriously thought I was being punked,” Joh said. “A caddie was like,
‘Yeah Tiff, cool pairing.’ I thought he was talking about my outfit.”
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted Aug. 22
HARRISON, N.Y. – Fresh from his Wednesday pro-am round with New
York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, a playful Phil Mickelson sidestepped
all but the most crucial question.
After ducking inquires
ranging from the FedEx Cup (“I certainly have some thoughts and some
views on it. They don’t seem to matter. But I don’t want to really go
public with them.”), to this week’s high-profile absentees (“It’s
unfortunate that Jason Bohn and Ryan Palmer have not been able to play
here because they are injured,” Lefty grinned, not mentioning Tiger
Woods’ absence.)
Mickelson did, however, hint that he may sit out one of the three remaining playoff events.
“My
intent is to play all four (playoff events) . . . we’ve heard that
before,” Mickelson smiled. “I’m going to steal a quote, yes.”
Woods
had said on numerous occasions it was his “intent” to play all four
playoff events, before announcing last week on his Web site he would
skip the Barclays in order to rest following his victories at the
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship.
The likely
candidate for Lefty to skip would be the Deutsche Bank Championship
near Boston, which he’s never played. Mickelson hasn’t finished outside
the top 20 in the last three Tour Championships (2000, ’02, ’04), while
there is no cut at the BMW Championship and he would probably feel more
comfortable at Cog Hill than at TPC Boston.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 22
OK, so I admit, I'm a total rookie when it comes to this FedEx Cup
'thingy.' (Ernie Els' words, not mine.) And this weekend, there was a
handful of players (Brandt Snedeker, Jeff Overton, Billy Mayfair,
Shigeki Maruyama, etc.) that made some pretty significant moves up the
points list with good play.
Snedeker, for instance, moved from
No. 26 all the way to ninth with his victory. (Not to diminish the
accomplishment, as Snedeker is a classy kid, but there was one top 50
player in the field this week.) Nonetheless, Snedeker is now one of the
FedEx "in" guys, as all the models used to concoct this system show a
player has to be 15th or higher going in to win the thing.
Anyhoo,
riddle me this, Batman: Eric Axley goes into the Wyndham at No. 145 in
points, one off the bubble. He plays pretty good for four days,
shooting three rounds in the 60s, including a closing 68 on Sunday that
includes not one, but two eagles. He ties for 27th.
Good enough, wouldn't you think?
Alas,
the man who started the week 145 ends the week at No. 145. He didn't
budge. Next time he can tee it up will be in a month, in the Fall
Finish, when all the big boys have gone home.
Any way to trade Delta miles for a few FedEx points? Just askin ...
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Aug. 19
Funny how some days are better than others. There’s never any
warning, little rhyme or reason and before you know it, the vibe is
lost.
Sunday, Aug. 19, was one of those days, starting bright
and early with the 4:58 a.m. (CST) birth of Jaxson James Boyd in Tulsa,
Okla. Boyd’s father, PGA Tour rookie Michael, is a regular contributor
to Golfweek.com and as regular a soul as has every carried a Tour card.
Jaxson and mother, Jamie, are doing fine, and the not-so-little
man weighed in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 18 1/2 inches. Sounds like the
foundation for a future Tour bomber.
“Bigger than the (Dalai) Lama,” replied Boyd, a noted “Caddyshack” historian.
About
12 hours later, Brandt Snedeker completed the feel-good double, lapping
the field with a final-round 63 at the Wyndham Championship for his
first Tour title.
What makes Snedeker any different from the
umpteen other Tour winners? Earlier this year, moments after finishing
third in just his third Tour event as a member (Buick Invitational)
Snedeker called a longtime friend and mentor and asked, “I hope I
didn’t let you down.” Lost on the Tour rookie was how much he learned
that day in defeat, and how refreshing his attitude was.
Good day for two of the game’s good guys.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 19
It’s official. Tiger Woods announced on his Web site Friday that he
will not play the Barclays, the first of four FedEx Cup playoff events.
“My
body is spent and I need a short break,” said Woods following
back-to-back victories at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational – where he
was the only player to finish under par – and the PGA Championship,
where temperatures regularly inched up past triple digits.
Care
to gauge the temperature of Barclays’ officials, who ponied up a
healthy portion of next week's $7 million purse, right about now?
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 17
Last week at Southern Hills, Tiger Woods said, on more than one
occasion, that it was his “intention” to play all four FedEx Cup
playoff events, which begin next week with the Barclays in New York.
A report in Wednesday’s USA Today says Woods, “may play, and I may not” all four tournaments.
Now,
Tour commish Tim Finchem and most of his advisors are lawyers by
sheepskin, so I doubt there’s a need to clarify. But just in case,
here’s a “Double speak for Dummies” translation:
• In - ten -
tion [in-ten-shun n.] Unless, of course, I can’t find the keys to Air
Tiger or my dog, Taz, eats my 6-iron or Sam Alexis forgets to call in
my commitment to Tour officials.
• May play, and I may not [No v.] See you in Boston at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 16
As conspiracies go, this one falls just shy of an extra gunman on
the grassy knoll in Dallas ... blame the PGA Tour for even bringing it
up.
But this week's version of Tour Notes doled out by our
friends up the road in PVB (that would be Ponte Vedra Beach) notes that
Monday – when Presidents Cup International team captain Gary Player
selected Nick O'Hern and Mike Weir to fill out his squad – was actually
International Lefthanders Day.
Now, I'm guessing had it been
our own National Lefthanders Day, U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus would have
countered with the red-hot Steve Flesch and Bubba Watson.
But it wasn't, so Jack went with Lucas Glover and Hunter Mahan.
Flesch? He was left out.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Aug. 15
Posted: 11/13/2007
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